NANA follows two young women linked by a name and separated by fate, shaped through clothing inspired by the Vivienne Westwood archive of its author, Ai Yazawa. Born in 1999 within Japan’s vibrant youth culture, the manga is now revisited in a capsule that expands their intertwined legacy.
“Since manga can’t produce sound, fashion becomes an important tool to express it visually,” Ai Yazawa explains in an interview on the Vivienne Westwood website, a way of thinking that guided the creation of the two young women at the centre of NANA. Both protagonists share a name, yet their worlds could not be more different. Nana Osaki is driven by punk ambition, while Nana Komatsu moves through Tokyo with a softer, more uncertain brightness. To build them, Yazawa turned to her own wardrobe. “Almost all of the items came from my personal collection,” she recalls, remembering how she studied each garment to capture its texture, attitude and movement on the page. 
The new collaboration with Vivienne Westwood brings this intimate creative process into the present with remarkable sensitivity. Osaki’s presence returns through red Lochcarron tartan, structured corsetry and leather chokers in pieces such as the Stormy Jacket, the Puppy Corset, the Cigarette Trousers and the Mini Kilt. Komatsu’s gentler rhythm appears in soft pink poplin, floral motifs and pearled details that mirror her emotional openness.
Accessories carry some of the most touching references to the manga’s visual universe. The Belle Frame purse in coral cloqué jacquard and the Charm Frame purse in tartan recall quiet motifs that accompanied Komatsu through the story, while the archival Rocking Horse Ballerina reemerges in tartan wool and in a metallic pink version exclusive to Asia. The jewellery gathers gestures familiar to readers, from the Nana Pearl Vivienne Westwood Necklace to the Nana Leather Choker. Seeing the full lineup for the first time, Yazawa admits, “I was so moved that I actually cried,” a response that speaks to her enduring connection with these characters.
For Ai Yazawa the project becomes “a punk love letter that honours the past, present and future of NANA,” a way of reuniting her two Nanas with the designs that helped define who they became.
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